________________
OCTOBER, 1880.]
MISCELLANEA.
251
as equivalents for Sudh and Vadya, only conventional mistranslations after all ?
C. E. G. C. The first half of the lunar month is called the Sukla-paksha-the light, bright, or white fort. night, and Sudi is used for in the clear fortnight, while the other half is the Krishna-paksha, or dark fortnight,' also called Vadya-paksha. The first seems to be naturally enough called the bright fortnight, for the simple reason that in the moonlight evenings, especially in tropical climates, people enjoy the moonlight, sitting out of doors chatting, &o. When the evenings are dark, the moon of midnight and early morning is not so enjoyed, and the fortnight is regarded as relatively dark.
J. b.
ASIATIC SOCIETIES. The fifty-seventh Annual Report of the Royal Asiatic Society (1880), has been prepared and published by the energetic Secretary, and is replete with information, chronicling as it does the contents of every publication and paper connected with every branch of Oriental Research that has appeared since last Report. We extract portions from it :
During a tour in the Northern districts of the Madras Presidency, His Grace the Duke of Buckingbam paid a flying visit on the 20th Jan. last, to the Tope at Amaravati. Having sent & working party beforehand, they uncovered, during the Duke's stay there, what appeared to be the foundations of the southern gateway, and a considerable portion of the procession path, that surrounded the monument. During these operations they found also a considerable number of sculptured slabs." Owing to the want of all experience on the part of the excavators it is feared, however, that this rough and ready excavation may have obliterated many traces that would have been of great importance in the eyes of a skilled archaologist :-if so, it must be deplored that the Tope was meddled with under such circumstances. "Meanwhile it is to be hoped, that efficient means will be taken for the protection of the sculptures thus uncovered, as all those that have been hitherto exposed have been removed by the natives for building purposes or burnt into lime." Mr. Sewell has prepared a report ! On the Amaravati Tope,' and on his excavations there in 1877. The famous Amaravati sculptures recovered by Capt. Colin Mackenzie and Sir Walter Elliot, and long in the India Office, have been removed to the British Museum, and are being attached to the walls of the chief staircase.
"In the République Franc (June 20, 1879), M. Regnaud has printed 'L'Avenir des études Sanskrites';-and in the Revue Philosophique,
Études de Philosophie Indienne, l'école Vedanta.' In the Academy of July 5, 1880, is a long and able review by Prof. F. Max Müller, of Kielhorn's
Vydkarana Mahabháshya.' In the Berliner Monatsber (June, 1879) Prof. Weber 'has two articles,
Ueber die Magavyakti des Kfishnadåsa Misralimportant essays on Mithraic worship, with reference, too, to the Indo-Skythic coins; and in che same, Dr. Bühler has printed 'Eine Notiz uber einige Sanskrit MS. aus Kasmir in der Hof. Bibliothek zu Wien.' In Mém de la Soc. de Linguistique, A. Barth has' Formes irregulières dans le Bhagavata Purana.' In the Calcutta Review, Mr. A. E. Gough has continued his study of the Philosophy of the Upanishads."
"F. Bollensen has brought out at Leipzig a scholarly edition of the drama Malavika und Agnimitra ;-Dr. Böhtlingk has added to the valuable labours he carried out with Dr. Roth, some years since in what is known as the great St. Petersburg Sanskrit Dictionary,--the true Thesaurus of Sansksit- new and condensed dictionary which is indeed, not only more than a mere abridgment, but a most important supplement to the former, in that all the addenda and corrigenda of the former are now incorporated into the new Dictionary. It is to be hoped that an English translation of this most useful work, now in contemplation, may be soon accomplished. Mr. Anundoram Boroosh has issued a second volume of his Practical English and Sanskrit Dictionary but this does not, as was anticipated, complete the work, as it only carries it as far as the word oyster.' The author has added to this second volume of his Dictionary a supplementary chapter on what he calls Higher Sanskrit Grammar, or gender and syntax-of nearly 300 pages. The collection of rules and illustrations he has given will be highly appreciated by those who have to teach Sanskrit; but it is to be regretted that he has not thought it necessary to give more complete authorities for his various statements. To say that & word has this or that meaning in Manu or Påņini or Sayana is scarcely enough, without the chapter and verse where it occurs. Professor Weber has completed the third volume of his Indische Streifen. being reviews of curren krit, Páli and Prakrit literature, with an index of forty-six closely-printed three-column pages for reference to the three volumes and a classified bibliographical table of contents. The number of authors mentioned or criticized in this third volume is about 330." "Professor Adolf has also published the second part of his Rigveda, dia
